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Terror don surrendered meekly
Abdur Rahman, who terrorised the country with his ruthless squad of bombers and preferred death to surrender in the cause of Jihad, yesterday walked out of his den, meek and cowed, into the law enforcers' hands, ending a 34-hour suspense. Breaking a 26-hour silence, the chief of the banned Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), finally surrendered at 7:06am to the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) that had pinned him down at a Sylhet house since Tuesday night.

Under high security, he has been brought to Dhaka by road for interrogation at the Rab-1 office in Uttara after a Sylhet court remanded him for 10 days. Before giving in, Rahman, whose band of killers carried out serial blasts on a number of occasions to kill more than 30 people and injure many others, charged the Rab of "violating human rights" by cutting off his utility supplies. "You have stopped my gas, electricity and water supply," Rahman appeared on the window and spoke in a weak tone. "It is violation of human rights."

"I want a peaceful solution. I want to meet Khaleda, Hasina, Ershad and [Lutfozzaman] Babar," he blurted out. He also wanted to talk to the media. "Once I surrender, I will not get the chance to talk with the media and say what I have to tell the countrymen," Rahman said in a weak voice, asking for a loudhailer.

The Rab members applied both coaxing and threats to snap the terrorist's psyche. "You have wasted enough time. We won't tolerate any more," a law enforcer shouted at Rahman. "They [Khaleda, Hasina, Ershad and Babar] could not come here," another law enforcer said. "We have made sitting arrangement for you in the next house where you can talk to the media. You will be given all types of legal support." The law enforcers asked Rahman to come out unarmed only in his pyjamas. "We will keep our words, but you will have to come out first. You will not carry anything in your hands or on your body. You have to show you are safe for all," a Rab officer said on a loudhailer.

A hesitant Rahman consulted with his two aides--Moizul Islam alias Hridoy Chowdhury, 40, and Hanif alias Abdul Aziz, 27--also holed up in the building. He repeated his demands for a few more times. Then he nodded to his cohorts, signalling with his head that the game is over. A few moments later, Rahman in a white flowing beard and draped in long punjabi, a red-and-white chequered scarf and a topi on his head walked out of the single-storey house at East Shaplabagh. He was clutching a copy of the Quran.

The terrorist looked like a cornered mouse. He and his two accomplices were immediately handcuffed and whisked away in a sports utility vehicle, not letting Rahman talk with the mediamen who had been waiting there since Tuesday night. Journalists were also not allowed at the Rab-1 office in Dhaka when Rahman and other arrestees were taken there at 3:00pm yesterday. Rab officials said they will not allow any journalists as they have already started their interrogation. They said they may arrange a briefing for journalists today.

A case was filed with Sylhet Kotwali Police Station against nine, including Rahman. A motorcade of top Rab officials took them to the court of Magistrate Ershadul Haque who sent Rahman on a 10-day remand upon a petition submitted by the police. The law enforcers seized a two-kg bomb, 11 detonators, power gel, electric wires, 21 CDs and books on Jihad, and a motorcycle from the house. The police later sealed the house.
Posted by: Fred 2006-03-03
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=144316